[Reader-list] Election Forecast

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Rakesh
 
"And unlike Gujarati society (or a section of Gujarati society), other societies are not worried about their masculinity that they have to portray it again and again........"

You are right. Within the limits of my 'sight' and 'understanding' your comment was a racist one. 
 
Kshmendra
 

--- On Sun, 5/17/09, Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Election Forecast
To: "anupam chakravartty" <c.anupam at gmail.com>
Cc: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2009, 2:05 PM


Dear Kshamendra

I think my comment can or may be seen as racist by some and non-racist by
others. It depends on your sight. and understanding.

My comment was not on the Gujarati society at whole, but on those who elect
BJP on the reason that Muslims have to be taught their lesson and that
Hindus are weak and effete. It's not a comment on those who vote for BJP due
to progress, their development, or petty or personal gains. For them we can
think and discuss differently.

However I used both 'the Gujarati society'  and 'a section of the Gujarati
society' simply because either of them may be true. And if it hurts
Gujaratis, they should actually introspect on why Modi gets elected for
certain reasons in Gujarat, and the very same reasons ensure that BJP never
gets power at the Centre. (like Modi's antics, his high-vitriolic speeches
and so on, which at national level ensure NDA's defeat time and again). And
they should ponder whether the value systems which have allowed Modi to
flower, can actually help the society at large or not, Are these values the
hallmark of a developed society, and a developed country, which we wish to
become by 2020?

Otherwise, Gujarat will keep electing BJP, and the Centre will still be the
UPA's. The BJP doesn't seem to analyze this question ever, so Gujaratis only
have the choice to look at it (Or again a section of Gujaratis, and here you
can understand which section I refer to).

Because after all, it hurts me not that Modi gets elected again and again;
it hurts me that a section of the Gujarati middle class feels that Muslims
deserved post-Godhra, that they are Pakistan supporters, that Congress will
bring progress only to Muslims (which it never did in the first place to a
substantial extent). I dont' want Modi to be dismissed arbitarily, but what
I want is that society (or a section of society) to introspect whether it is
doing right or wrong by believing such value systems.

And if still people feel offended, I apologize.

Regards

Rakesh
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